Louis rigal



UNITED STATEs PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS ltIGAL, OF ROQUEFORT, FRANCE.

PROCESS OF PERFORATING ROQUEFORT OR OTHER CHEESES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 448,371, dated March 17, 1891.

Application filed October 15, 1890.

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS RIGAL, of the city of Roquefort, Aveyron, France, have invented a Process of Perforating Roquefort or other Cheeses, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Certain kinds of cheeses, and especially those known as Roquefort cheeses, are usuallysubjected to a piercing operation in order to render uniform and accelerate their ripening. This operation is generally performed by the aid of machines furnished with fine piercers, which are made to penetrate the cheeses. For cheeses of the Roquefort size it is only possible to use a limited number of piercers, as the holes, if too numerous, would cause the deterioration and disintegration of the cheese. It is, however, of advantage to have as large a number of holes as possible, as it develops the blueness of the cheese, the ripening of the product being also rendered uniform and accelerated proportionately to the number of perforations made therein.

My invention has for its object to enable cheeses of the kind herein described to be pierced with about double the usual number of holes without in any way deteriorating the cheeses. To this end the cheese is first wrapped or enveloped in a coarse cloth, canvas, or other fabric, the four corners of which are then brought together and twisted so as to draw the fabric tightly around the cheese, and so hold it under compression during the piercing operation, which is performed by causing the perforating instruments to traverse the wrapper, thus enabling the number of perforations to be increased to the desired extent without causing the disintegration of the cheese. After the cheeses have been perforated they are unwrapped and may then be placed upon shelves or racksin the ordinary manner, where they will ripen very readily and uniformly.

It is to be understood that my process is entirely independent of the nature and form of the fabric in which the cheese is to be wrapped before being pierced. Different fabrics may be employed according to the size of the cheese, and be cut up to form wrappers of suitable shape.

I claim- The herein-described process of piercing Roquefort and other cheeses, which consists in first enveloping the cheese in a fabric and then inserting the piercing instruments into the cheese, whereby a larger number of perforations may be made therein without injuring the cheese, substantially as herein'before described.

The foregoing specification of my process of perforating Roquefort and other cheeses signed by me this 25th day of September, 1890.

LOUIS RIGAL.

Witnesses:

V. LowRE, CHAs. B. TRAIL. 

